Way Too Early 2026 Notre Dame Football Record Prediction and Opponent Previews: Part Two
- Brenden Duffy
- 3 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Look ahead to Notre Dame's 2026 season with an early look at six of the Irish's opponents. Read Part One here.
Stanford (Oct. 10 at ND Stadium)
2025 Record: 4-8 (3-5 in ACC)
Head Coach: Tavita Pritchard (1st season)
Notes: Cardinal GM Andrew Luck found his program’s HC in his former backup QB from his time at Stanford. Pritchard, a long-time assistant with the program, including time as an OC, faces a tall task building this program back up. Last season, Stanford was a senior-led team that struggled with QB play. The Cardinal have brought in Michigan transfer Davis Warren to compete with incoming three-star freshman Michael Mitchell Jr for the starting job. Notably, Stanford will return their starting RB Micah Ford, but lost three of their top four receiving options, and they did not do much to replace the lost production in the portal.
Prediction: The Irish will handle the Cardinal at home. This game could get ugly fast with Notre Dame’s defense just being much more talented than the Stanford offense, and they should feast on Warren if he is deemed the starter. Stanford seemingly always has at least a decent defense, but Notre Dame’s firepower should be too much.
Navy (Oct. 31 at Gillette Stadium)
2025 Record: 11-2 (7-1 in AAC)
Head Coach: Brian Newberry (4th season)
Notes: This will be a much different-looking team than the one the Irish have pounced on over the last two years. Notable players such as QB Blake Horvath, FB Eli Heidenreich, and RB Alex Tecza have moved on to their professional careers. Navy’s top four leading rushers and top two leading receivers, in addition to Horvath, will all need to be replaced. Braxton Woodson should be in line to earn the starting QB position, which Irish fans received a hint of at the end of the 2025 Irish-Navy game. I think Woodson is a better pure runner than Horvath, creating some intrigue with this season’s Midshipmen offense. Defensively, they will return some key LBs and DBs, including their top three leading tacklers. However, their pass rush will need to be addressed, with their top three sack leaders not returning.
Prediction: With the notable losses, especially offensively, I think Navy takes a step back this season. Notre Dame should continue their domination of the Midshipmen on Halloween night in Foxborough.
Miami (Nov. 7 at ND Stadium)
2025 Record: 13-3 (6-2 in ACC)
Head Coach: Mario Cristobal (5th season)
Notes: How will the Canes follow up their CFP Championship run? Well, Cristobal must replace starting QB Carson Beck, EDGEs Rueben Bain Jr and Akheem Mesidor, and three offensive linemen, including OT Francis Mauigoa. These losses also include Miami’s top three sack leaders, who combined for 27 this past season. Via the portal, the Hurricanes did not lose many impact pieces, but the depth certainly took a hit. Some notable players looking to run it back this season include starting RB Mark Fletcher Jr., leading WR Malachi Toney, and leading tackler Mohamed Toure. Some notable additions via the portal include Missouri EDGE Damon Wilson II (#8 overall, #3 EDGE), Boston College S Omar Thornton (#89 overall, #6 S), and a pair of receivers in South Carolina’s Vandrevius Jacobs (#87 overall, #21 WR) and West Virginia’s Cam Vaughn (#132 overall, #32 WR). As far as QB is concerned, these questions were answered in recent days with Duke QB Darian Mensah announcing his decision to transfer down to Coral Gables.
Prediction: There is no question that this is the game circled on Notre Dame’s calendars. Over a year after the Hurricanes topped the Irish in a season-opening contest in Miami, the two teams rematch in South Bend this November. It might be a little too early for snow, but if the weather can play a factor, that should provide the home squad an advantage. I think HC Freeman, along with Notre Dame’s returning pieces, will come out with revenge on their minds and play with their hair on fire. While last year’s contest was a high-scoring affair, I think this year’s edition is a low-scoring, grind-it-out, physical game. I will take Notre Dame by two scores in a comfortable fashion.
Boston College (Nov. 14 at ND Stadium)
2025 Record: 2-10 (1-7 in ACC)
Head Coach: Bill O’Brien (3rd season)
Notes: O’Brien has a LOT of work to do if the Eagles are going to improve on a two-win year. At the moment, I would argue this season’s team is worse on paper. Boston College was depleted this offseason due to graduating seniors, NFL Draft entries, and the transfer portal. Among the players lost include: all three QBs who attempted a pass in 2025 (1 draft and 2 transfers), the top two leading rushers (1 graduate and 1 transfer), the top three leading receivers (2 draft and 1 transfer), starting S Omar Thornton who ND will see against Miami, and the team’s sack-leader Sedarius McConnell will be entering the draft. Among the 29 total players who transferred out of Chestnut Hill this offseason, the two most notable are Thornton and new Arizona State WR Reed Harris. However, the Eagles did some work themselves via the portal, bringing in 25 transfers from pretty much all levels of CFB, including former ND LB Bodie Kahoun. I would guess O’Brien has a QB competition this offseason between their two transfers, Mason McKenzie (Saginaw Valley State) and Grayson Wilson (Arkansas). McKenzie is a dual-threat who had his struggles throwing the ball, while Wilson did not receive any action with the Razorbacks. Finally, while the DBs did lose Thornton to the Hurricanes, they will return their leader in tackles and interceptions, KP Price, and their leader in PBUs, Isaiah Farris, to help out the secondary.
Prediction: Notre Dame came out sleepwalking against the Eagles in 2025, when they won by just 15 as nearly 30-point favorites. I hope that game is a part of Freeman’s new mantra, “leave no doubt,” as the Irish should have won that contest by at least three scores. This year, in South Bend, I expect the Irish to blow the Eagles' doors off. The talent level is too far divided for Boston College to be hanging around.
SMU (Nov. 21 at ND Stadium)
2025 Record: 9-4 (6-2 in ACC)
Head Coach: Rhett Lashlee (5th season)
Notes: Two seasons removed from playing in the inaugural 12-team CFP, Lashlee and the Mustangs lost a lot this offseason, mostly due to graduating seniors and NFL Draft entries. The one massive returning piece is QB Kevin Jennings, who has thrown for over 2,300 yards with at least 23 TDs the previous two seasons. Defensively, SMU returns most of its solid LB core. The Mustangs brought in a pretty good transfer class this offseason, featuring East Carolina WR Yannick Smith (#93 overall, #23 WR) and Texas A&M TE Theo Melin Ohrstrom (#147 overall, #9 TE). Now the departures: The only big hit via the portal came from RB2 Chris Johnson Jr., who has transferred to Clemson. However, SMU is in line for a big 2026 NFL Draft with their starting RB, top two WRs, top two TEs, both starting Safeties, and all four starting Defensive Linemen entering this spring. The Safety duo led the Mustangs in tackles while combining for seven INTs and 10 PBUs last year. The four DL were SMU’s top four leading sack-getters. It will be interesting to see who steps up on the Mustangs to replace the massive amount of production lost on both sides of the ball.
Prediction: Again, I am curious as to who will step up around Jennings this season. I do not imagine the talent level is better this year compared to last, given all of the departures. Jennings can win some games by himself, but not against Notre Dame. I will take the Irish to win comfortably on Senior Day against a warm-weather program in late November.
Syracuse (Nov. 28 at JMA Wireless Dome)
2025 Record: 3-9 (1-7 in ACC)
Head Coach: Fran Brown (3rd season)
Notes: When Brown led Syracuse to a 10-win 2024 season and when QB Steve Angeli was healthy in the early part of the 2025 season, the Orange looked like a team reliant on a high-powered passing offense. After losing eight straight games to close last season, including a 70-7 beatdown at ND, I think we will see somewhat of a philosophy shift from HC Brown as he goes back to his defensive roots. This also might just be due to the personnel he has to work with in 2025. At QB, Angeli, the former Irish transfer, is the assumed starter once he is fully recovered from his achilles injury. However, eyebrows were raised when Syracuse brought in three transfer QBs: Kennesaw State starter Amari Odom, former five-star recruit and UTEP transfer Malachi Nelson, and Georgetown starter Danny Lauter. The Orange also brought in 15 additional transfers, but nothing too notable at this moment. Their biggest postseason win probably comes with the defensive returners, including the top three leading tacklers and top two leaders in PBUs, giving Brown a solid foundation to work with. Notable losses this offseason include the top two RBs (1 transfer, 1 draft), top five WRs (4 transfers, 1 draft), including Darrell Gill Jr and Johntay Cook, who both transferred to Ole Miss, and both their starting TE and sacks leader to the draft.
Prediction: I think Syracuse gives Notre Dame a little scare in this regular-season finale. Coach Brown should have his team fired up after the drumming they took in South Bend last season, and it will be the Orange’s Senior Day. The Irish can not sleepwalk into this one, and I do not expect them to. Notre Dame wins by 14, pulling away in the fourth quarter, completing a 12-0 regular season and guaranteeing a spot in the CFP.
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